Oxidative reductive potential (ORP) water, also known as super-oxidized water, can be used as a non-toxic disinfectant to eradicate microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and spores, in variety of settings. ORP water has applications in wound care, medical device sterilization, food sterilization, hospitals, consumer households and anti-bioterrorism. Advantageously, ORP water is environmentally safe and, thus, avoids the need for costly disposal procedures.
Although ORP water is an effective disinfectant, it has an extremely limited shelf-life, usually only a few hours. As a result of this short lifespan, the production of ORP water must take place in close proximity to where ORP water is to be used as a disinfectant. This means that a healthcare facility, such as a hospital, must purchase, house and maintain the equipment necessary to produce ORP water. Additionally, prior manufacturing techniques have not been able to produce sufficient commercial-scale quantities of ORP water to permit its widespread use as a disinfectant at healthcare facilities.
In addition, common delivery forms for the topical administration of ORP water tend to be inherently problematic. Such ORP compositions are generally administered in the form of either a liquid or a gel, both of which have innate disadvantages. The application of liquid products to treatment sites is difficult to control, as run-off, spillage, and poor containment are commonly encountered problems. In contrast, thick gels are not easily dispensed, and may not reach the entire surface area of wounds as easily as liquids.
Accordingly, a need exists for ORP water formulations that are stable over an extended period of time and are suitable for effective topical administration. The present invention provides such formulations. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.